This week, the Indiana Hoosiers, led by Coach Curt Cignetti and Heisman winner Fernado Mendoza, completed the fairy tale turnaround in only the second year of the 12-team college football playoffs. The Hoosiers beat the Miami Hurricanes 27-21 in the CFP Championship Game on Jan. 20 at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
“I truthfully didn’t expect things to go the way they did,” said OH senior Logan Nieves. “I don’t think anybody thought it would’ve been Miami playing Indiana.”
Both teams have had quite a story leading into the Championship game. The Indiana Hoosiers went 3-9 in the ’23-24 season and finished last in the Big Ten Conference standings.
Now, going 16-0 with their first Big 10 Championship since 1947 and their first National title in school history.
“Seeing Indiana go undefeated is something rare and was so exciting to watch,” said Nieves.
What caused the change? The main turning point came with the hiring of Coach Curt Cignetti. Immediately, this shift set the tone that he has come to Indiana to win. When quoted in an interview before last year’s playoffs, Cignetti said, “I win. Google me.”
Although Indiana would lost in the first round of the 2025 Playoffs to Notre Dame, Indiana knew that it had something special.
Through this year’s playoffs, Indiana started against Alabama after a bye-week which many fans have called a course.
“A lot of teams lose their first game after the bye-week because they get rusty over the time they spend resting,” said OH senior Xavier Nelson.
But the Hoosiers would prove the superstitions wrong and dismantle the Crimson Tide 38-3. They went on to face the Oregon Ducks for the second time this season and beat them again with a score of 56-22, advancing them to the finals.
On the other hand, the Miami Hurricanes had a similar story as they were on the back foot before this season. Miami hadn’t made the playoffs and struggled to be in the top 10 for almost two decades.
Since the hiring of the Hurricanes Coach Mario Crisobal in 2022, Miami has improved season after season. After acquiring Georgia quarterback Carson Beck in last year’s transfer portal, Miami knew it had a shot at the title.
Starting the season strong at 5-0, Miami found itself ranked second in the country. But in the following weeks, Miami would lose to SMU and Louisville and would drop all the way to 18th. The rest of the season, Miami would claw back and get the final spot in the CFP, jumping Notre Dame, which garnered much controversy.
In the first round of the playoffs, they traveled to Texas A&M in a low-scoring shootout, just securing the win with a fourth quarter touchdown with a final score of 10-3.
The Hurricanes faced their biggest challenge yet, going up against the defending champions, the Ohio State Buckeyes. However, yet again, Miami would shock the fans by handling Ohio State with a win of 24-14.
On their final step before the championship, Miami would yet again prove that the underdog should not be underestimated, beating the Ole Miss Raiders 31-27 in a game that was only decided in its final seconds.
“Seeing [Miami] fight their way through the playoff series was astonishing to say the least,” said Nieves.
Both teams, the Miami Hurricanes and Indiana Hoosiers, had quite the long road leading into this championship, but then again, it was Curt Cignetti with Heisman winner Fernado Mendoza that took the Championship and completed what is being coined as the greatest program turnaround in sports history.
“Indiana winning was easily the most shocking thing all season, it feels like they haven’t had a winning record since World War II and then won the National Championship out of nowhere”, said Nelson.
The Hoosier’s win hit home for Nelson’s family here in Oswego: “My mom also went to Indiana, so[the win] made it even more special for me and my family.”
I am a Senior at OHS and in my second year as a journalist. I am a podcast co-editor and a co-editor in chief and I am excited for my second year being a journalist for the school. You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication!
